28 Small Changes That Will Make a Big Difference By: Melissa Sperl from WeightWatchers.com
Small changes can make a big difference in your weight-loss efforts. Here are some baby steps that will get you far.
Hey, slow down! Weight loss is no sprint, it's a marathon. So abruptly and drastically changing your routine is only going to leave you breathless and worn out. A more realistic approach to weight loss is to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Little by little, it'll make a big difference.
Do sweat the small stuff.
"Making small changes one at a time is a great strategy," agrees psychologist Howard Rankin, PhD, a author of "The TOPS Way to Weight Loss" (Hay House, 2005). "It's not overwhelming, and it results in a slower, steadier weight loss." Think of it this way, maybe cutting the cream out of your coffee seems like a small feat to you. But once you've got that down you can add another small feat, then another.
So, we asked people just like you—on the WeightWatchers.com Message Boards and in meetings rooms—what small steps they've taken in order to make their way toward their weight goals. Here's what they had to say:
2. Order half portions at restaurants, or share a full portion with somebody. Or ask for a "to-go" container when you order your food, and pack up half the portion before you even start eating.
3. Cut back on butter and mayo.
4. Limit fried foods to once or twice per week.
5. Use less or no sugar in your coffee or tea.
6. Replace ground beef with meatless products.
7. Try at least one new food every week. If you're bored with what you're eating, you're more likely to give up.
8. Eat fresh, raw veggies with sandwiches instead of chips.
9. Measure your portions until you're sure you know what a cup, a half-cup, and a tablespoon look like. This will help you practice portion control, an essential key to weight-loss success.
10. Try not to drink high-calorie beverages.
11. Dip your fork in a side of salad dressing before each bite instead of pouring it directly on your salad. You'll find that you are satisfied with much less than you usually put on.
12. Find healthy alternatives to all your favorite foods.
13. If you don't really love it, don't eat it.
14. Never eat out of a bag or box. Take out a measured/counted quantity of food and put it in a bowl. This way, you know exactly how much you're having.
15. Always eat something for breakfast.
16. Read food labels. Check serving sizes.
17. Add vegetables to everything.
18. Plan meals in advance; use that information to make out a complete shopping list.
19. Give food to guests to take home.
20. Write down everything you eat and drink, without fail.
21. Plan ahead for special occasions by accounting for higher-calorie foods before you eat them.
… About Small Exercise Changes
1. Take the stairs every single time they're an option. No more elevators or escalators.
2. Make exercise a priority, not an inconvenience.
3. Park far from your destination so you're forced to walk. This works at the supermarket, the mall, wherever. (This also helps you waste less time looking for a parking space!)
4. View tiring chores (shoveling snow, cleaning the house, weeding the garden, taking the garbage out, grocery shopping) as a chance to get in some activity.
5. Take the grocery cart back to the store when you're done loading your bags into your car.
6. If you take public transportation, get off one stop early.
7. Work out with a buddy.
Find Calm in Minutes Learn how being active can literally make you feel better
By Julian Kesner
We already know that regular workouts can fight depression.
Now, new research shows a single 20-minute exercise session
per week is enough to reduce stress, ease anxiety, and
boost happiness and energy levels, according to a new Scottish
study of about 20,000 adults. Even better, the researchers
discovered that almost any type of physical activity--including
house or yard work, or even a brisk walk--helped lower
levels of mental distress.
Vegetarianism: A Winning Formula for Athletes Source: GoVeg.com
From
Olympic arenas to NFL stadiums, vegetarian athletes are dominating
their meat-eating competitors. Meat-free mavericks include
Sports Illustrated "Olympian of the Century" Carl
Lewis, top ultra-marathon runner Scott Jurek, tennis legend
Chris Evert, football star Ricky Williams, Ultimate
Fighting champ Mac Danzig, NBA standouts Raja Bell and Salim Stoudamire,
and boxing champion Keith Holmes.
A vegetarian diet provides athletes with all the protein,
complex carbohydrates, and other nutrients they need to
get stronger and faster—without the artery-clogging
cholesterol and saturated fats found in meat, eggs, and
dairy products.
According to the American Dietetic Association
and the Dieticians of Canada, vegetarians have lower rates
of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and various types
of cancer than meat-eaters.
Read
about how a vegan diet has helped Ultimate Fighting
champion Mac Danzig take his skills to a new level.
Top Tips
for High-Performance Vegetarian Athletes
A sensible, well-rounded vegetarian diet will give you the
essential nutrients you need to excel. Here are a few key
things to remember:
Nutritionists recommend that most of the calories athletes
consume come from complex carbohydrates. While refined carbohydrates
like sugar and white bread should be avoided, complex carbs
are critical for fueling your muscles with energy in a sustained
way. Great choices are whole-wheat breads and pastas, cereals,
brown rice, quinoa, and fruits and vegetables.
Protein can
be found in abundance in foods like beans, nuts, tofu,
whole grains, veggie burgers, Gardenburger's meatless barbecue
ribs, Boca's Chik'n Nuggets, and other meat substitutes.
Although vegetarians can easily get plenty of protein through
these foods, if you're looking for a post-workout boost,
put some frozen fruit and a vegan
protein supplement into
a blender for a delicious smoothie, mix up a Vega
drink,
or grab a tasty Clif "builder bar" (weighing
in at 20 grams of protein) from your local supermarket.
A
bit of fat in your diet is important, and the fats in plant
foods like avocados, vegetable and olive oils, nuts, and
seeds tend to be much healthier than the artery-clogging
fats found in most animal products. Take a pass on deep-fried
foods.
Adding a multivitamin and a vitamin B12 supplement
to your daily diet is a good idea for all athletes.
Any
trainer will tell you that the more calories you burn,
the more fuel you need. Vegetarian foods tend to be very
nutrient-dense, but they are somewhat less calorie-dense
than animal products. So eat plenty of your favorite vegetarian
dishes.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, steve
croteau started riding BMX bikes around 6years ago. Since
then, he has turned BMX into more then just a little hobby,
He’s traveled the
United States and has also been blessed to leave the country
doing his BMX stuff.
Now twenty years old, he lives in California so that he
can fulfill his dream to ride his bike any day of the year,
no snow storms, no rain for weeks, etc.
Steve has been vegetarian for sometime now and would like
to thank Nick Ponterio and Lino Gonzalez for showing him
the light.
His favorite Amy's? Steve's current favorite is the Teriyaki
Bowl, but he
was obsessed with the Margherita Pizza for a while.
Catch some videos of Steve doing what he loves best:
The Calm Traveler By habits expert and educator
Havi Brooks | Website
Featured in the May 2007 issue of Yogi
Times magazine
If
you're on a plane, I'm easy to spot. You’ll always
find me sitting right next to the person who is just about
to flip out. In fact, I’m pretty sure the
airlines know in advance that I’ll be the calmest
person on the plane and deliberately seat me next to the
passenger most terrified of heights, closed spaces, flight
attendants, or just likely to have a midair panic attack.
Truth be told, I don’t mind at all. I once suffered
from claustrophobia myself, and remember very well what it's
like to spend entire flights hyperventilating and crying.
But now, teaching people to be calm is what I do - and it
gives me something to do on long trips.
I hold hands, teach mudras and breathing exercises, tap
on pressure points, give away my acupressure secrets and
listen to their stories. Sometimes the people in the rows
around us get curious about what we’re doing and it
turns into an impromptu midair-calming class. This has happened
so often that now I actually bring worksheets on board.
Habits expert and yoga educator Havi
Brooks trains people
to untangle their problem patterns, tap into their potential
and start doing things differently. See her website here.
Dance Off Those Calories Monica Neave: BellaOnline's Exercise
Editor
Just 20 minutes of disco dancing, ballroom dancing, or square
dancing burns 114 calories, while fast dancing like ballet
or twist burns around 125 calories, and slow dancing like
the waltz or foxtrot burns 62 calories. These figures are
calculated for a 130 pound woman and the numbers could be
higher if you weigh more or have a good amount of muscle.
The cool thing about dancing is that you don't have to spend
money on classes or even go out to clubs to do it, although
it's a great excuse to get out of the house. You can do it
in the comfort of your own home, any time of day, in many
different ways. Just turn on the radio or mtv and start bouncing
around for 5 minutes and you'll soon feel your heart rate
soar. Looking for something more structured? Your options
are unlimited. Just check out the best of the best dance
workout videos below.
The Classics Richard
Simmons - Dance Your Pants Off! Richard Simmons is the
king of fun! He's loud, flamboyant, gets you motivated, and
he loves to dance. In this video you'll dance to celebration,
she works hard for the money, sweet dreams, call me, maniac,
and other fun 80's hits. If you're looking for a fun dance
workout this is definitely the video for you.
Get Your Groove On
Darrin's Dance Grooves You've all seen the infomercial
for this and although some people think it's silly, most
of us think how cool it would be to dance like Brittney
or NSYNC. Nobody has to know about it unless you decide
to bust a move at your company x-mas party. Everyone
who has it raves about it so it's definitely worth trying.
Learn To Dance : Go Fatima ! is another great
video to try. Fatima has choreographed for the Backstreet
Boys, Aaliyah, and other groups. Can't go wrong with
that.
Be A Ballerina The
New York City Ballet Workout was in high demand months
before it was released and for good reason. It takes you
through a fullbody workout using basic ballet moves (just
try the plie
move for a tighter butt). You also get a glimpse into
the lives of the four NYC dancers featured in the video
including performing, practicing, and eating.
Amy’s Kitchen sponsors Mountain
Bike Champion, Addie Stewart -
UPDATED!
Addie Stewart
Born: May 30, 1975
Resides: Roy, Utah
Athletic Highlights 2004 Utah Series Sport Women DH Champion
2005 Utah Series Expert Women DH Champion
2005 NORBA National Champion Expert Women’s DH & DS/MTNX
An avid outdoors enthusiast, Addie got seriously into mountain
biking at age 29. After riding mountain bikes recreationally
for 5 years, she was introduced to DH (downhill) in June
2004 and completed her first race in July in Utah that same
year. Her number one ranking in Utah’s Sport class
in 2004, grew to a national #1 ranking in the Expert class
by the end of the 2005 season. She raced DS/MTNX (Dual
Slalom/Mountain Cross) for her first time in 2005 and won
the US Women’s National Title. Currently, Addie
is ranked 10 in the world!
In addition to biking (which she does every chance she gets)
Addie love snowboarding and took 1st place at a 2004 Big
Air Competition. She is also a certified skydiver, rock climber,
back packer and runner.
Addie
is not only a vegetarian, but, she is also lactose intolerant.
In the past it was difficult for her to get the proper nutrition
an athlete needs. Nowadays, companies, such as Amy’s
Kitchen make it possible and convenient for Addie to get
the nutrients she needs. Her favorites? Amy’s
Bean and Rice Burrito and the Roasted
Vegetable Pizza.
Amy’s is a proud supporter of this
awesome athlete.
Results: 4th St. Triathlon SLC, UT
4th place in her age group,
9th place in overall women. Chile Challenge May 26, 2008 Angel Fire,
NM (International
race)
7th place in Pro Women DH. Bountiful Bomber June 1, 2008 Bountiful,
UT (UT series race)
1st place in Pro Women DH Wolf Mtn Mayhem June 22, 2008 Wolf Mtn,
UT (UT series race)
1st place in Pro Women DH NMBS June 29, 2008 Deer Valley, UT (International race)
7th
place in Pro Women DH
Cheer Addie on at any of these upcoming events: 2008 Racing
Schedule
White Pine Pow-wow Pinedale, WY July 6-finished 1st in Super
D
Bald mtn Challenge Deer Valley, UT July 20
Spud man Triathlon Burly, ID July 26
Pomerelle Pounder Pomerelle, ID August 3
Flyin' Brian Brianhead, UT August 17
Sundance Showdown Sundance, UT Sept. 1
The Better Fitness Walk Learn proper form techniques to make your walks more efficient. Source: Cooking
Light By Gin Miller
Fitness walking is an excellent way
to tone muscles and burn calories. In fact, you can burn almost as many calories
with a vigorous walk as you can running, and fitness walking
is much less stressful on the body. You will need to average
about 12 to 15 minutes per mile (measure your distance with
a pedometer, available from sporting goods stores). Start
by walking for at least 20 to 30 minutes three to four days
per week. Increase this to five to six days per week if you're
trying to lose weight.
Here are tips for proper walking form:
Elongate your body by standing tall with head
up, chin level, and eyes gazing forward.
Lift chest, and
relax shoulders. Breathe deeply as you walk to get the
maximum amount of oxygen to your muscles.
Bend arms slightly
and swing them front to back, not side to side or crossing
the body. Do not swing elbows higher than chest level.
Tilt
pelvis forward slightly, and keep abs tight.
Push off with
toes and land on heel, rolling back through to toe to push
off again.
Maintain a natural stride length.
Add speed intervals to your walks to
burn up to 10 times more calories than you would during
an ordinary fitness walk. After warming up, fitness walk for three minutes, then add
a one-minute speed interval. Increase your walking pace to
about eight or nine on an intensity scale of one to 10. At
the end of one minute, slow back to your fitness speed. Continue
alternating three-minute segments of fitness walking with
one-minute increments of speed for a total of 10 intervals.
You should interval train only twice a week to allow your
body time to recuperate between workouts.
Quick Tip: Drink plenty of water before, during, and after
your walk, and start with a slow five- to eight-minute warm-up
of slow walking. At the end of your walk, cool down and stretch.
Take a Hike! Access your inner Mountain Lion and get moving! Source: Seventeen
Ick. The gym is always packed, and whenever
you're doing your lat pulls, there always seems to be an
ex-football player in a too-tight tank top sighing impatiently,
waiting for you to finish. You want a workout, but breathing
the re-circulated air in the gym is not your idea of a healthy
activity. Do you really need to sacrifice your emotional
well being for a workout? No way! If you want a workout that
will let you breathe fresh air, connect with your inner self,
and burn serious calories, hiking is your perfect match!
A 130-pound person hiking for four hours with a twenty-pound
pack will burn more than 1,200 calories! You'd have to rack
up some pretty serious mileage on the elliptical to come
close to that -- plus you don't even have the option of deer
and bear sightings. Even if you're a city girl, there's bound
to be a national park with hiking trails pretty close to
your home. Check out the National Park Service for a complete
directory of national parks, or check out your state's website
for a list of state parks. Once you have an idea of your
destination, round up some buds, and plan what hike you'd
like to do. Once you get to your destination, get a map of
the trail and talk to the Park Ranger about environmental
conditions and things to watch out for. Don't have gear?
No worries! Although plenty of people on the trail look like
they were caught in an EMS outlet explosion, all you need
for a beginning day hike are a good, supportive pair of sneakers,
an extra pair of socks, lightweight, layering clothes, a
flashlight, a compass, sunscreen, insect repellent, a big
bottle of water, and trail mix or granola bars for energy.
Sounds like a lot, but think of all the stuff you bring just
to go to the gym! And, if you decide you need a new water
bottle or jacket, check out REI for the best gear for any
outdoor sport.
If you're a beginning hiker, try a relatively easy trail
first to get the feel of it (i.e., don't plan to hike the
entire Appalachian Trail your first time out). If you want
to try staying overnight, pick a spot that's not too far
from the car or ranger station. For some ideas on food preparation
and safety, check out the tips on the Food Safety and Inspection
Services, and check out RecipeSource for some ideas on meals
to prepare. And, of course, make sure to dispose of your
food properly, and not leave anything lying around, because
cuddling up with a black bear or cougar in the middle of
the night is probably not your ideal camping situation. Finally,
when you leave, be respectful of your environment and take
everything you brought with you.
Birding as
a Hobby by Norma & Sandy Rubin, Galveston,
TX
One
of the most awe-inspiring phenomena in nature has to be the
migration of birds. Many of our songbirds and water birds
leave the U.S. during our winters for Central and South America
and then fly north in the spring to court, breed, and raise
their young in North America – some fly as far north
as the Arctic Circle. Then, in the fall they head south again
for the winter. They know the way by instinct! And the most
amazing of all is that many of these birds fly north across
the Gulf of Mexico with no stopping for food or rest. Experts
believe that they leave the Yucatan Peninsula in the early
evening, fly and pilot by starlight, and arrive in the U.S.
by mid-morning to early afternoon the next day. What a feat!
Can you imagine tiny ruby-throated hummingbirds making this
trip? The Arctic Tern migrates the farthest -- from Canada
and even farther north to the coast of Africa and then south
to Antarctica. Some migrate over 20,000 miles a year! Appreciation
of this feat has made me and many others devoted birdwatchers.
What a rewarding hobby! When I see these colorful migrants
in the spring, I just wish each could tell me about its travels.
At this time of year they are so colorful, the males especially
in their breeding plumage – reds, blues, yellows, oranges
. . . all colors of the rainbow. Each is so beautiful one
has to wonder how they even evolved to have such distinct
coloration. Identifying them with the aid of a good field
guide is the challenge. Soon, one learns to look not only
at colorful feathers but other distinctive characteristics.
Here are but a few examples: the habitat it likes (shoreline
for sandpipers, mulberry trees for tanagers, red flowers
for hummingbirds), the length of the legs (long in herons,
very short in chimney swifts), the shape of the bill (spoon-shaped
and elongated in roseate spoonbills and chisel-like in oystercatchers),
and the pattern of flying (hovering like a paper kite for
white-tailed kites, and dive-bombing into water for fish
like brown pelicans).
Don’t we all need a stress reliever! Just being outside,
on a spring or fall day, tromping in the woods or on the
shore of a lake or ocean, and enjoying the beauty and behavior
of these little creatures, some of which weigh only a few
ounces – this is a relaxing hobby! It can be competitive,
of course, if you want to keep a list of birds that you have
seen, and then you are constantly looking for new birds to
add to your list. One always hopes to see a bird that is
not usually found in that geographical area – a “rare
bird alert” is sent out to other birders, and they
converge from all over to try to find it.
One of the best things about this hobby is that whenever
you travel, there are new birds to look for. I take my binoculars
on every trip. No matter how long you have been birding,
you always want to see new ones, and interest in birds is
a fantastic excuse to travel to new places.
Get Started Now!
Bird watching, requires only a pair of binoculars and a
handy field guide. Here are some good binoculars for every
price range:
These field guides are great choices and are widely available:
Stokes Field Guides to Birds by Donald
and Lilian Stokes National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of
North America Silbey Field Guides To North America(this
is the book that Norma uses) by David Allen Silbey Roger Tory Peterson’s Field Guides
Small changes can make a big difference in your weight-loss efforts. Here are some baby steps that will get you far.
From
Olympic arenas to NFL stadiums, vegetarian athletes are dominating
their meat-eating competitors. Meat-free mavericks include
Sports Illustrated "Olympian of the Century" Carl
Lewis, top ultra-marathon runner Scott Jurek, tennis legend
Chris Evert, football star Ricky Williams, 
If
you're on a plane, I'm easy to spot. You’ll always
find me sitting right next to the person who is just about
to flip out. In fact, I’m pretty sure the
airlines know in advance that I’ll be the calmest
person on the plane and deliberately seat me next to the
passenger most terrified of heights, closed spaces, flight
attendants, or just likely to have a midair panic attack.
Ick. The gym is always packed, and whenever
you're doing your lat pulls, there always seems to be an
ex-football player in a too-tight tank top sighing impatiently,
waiting for you to finish. You want a workout, but breathing
the re-circulated air in the gym is not your idea of a healthy
activity. Do you really need to sacrifice your emotional
well being for a workout? No way! If you want a workout that
will let you breathe fresh air, connect with your inner self,
and burn serious calories, hiking is your perfect match!
One
of the most awe-inspiring phenomena in nature has to be the
migration of birds. Many of our songbirds and water birds
leave the U.S. during our winters for Central and South America
and then fly north in the spring to court, breed, and raise
their young in North America – some fly as far north
as the Arctic Circle. Then, in the fall they head south again
for the winter. They know the way by instinct! And the most
amazing of all is that many of these birds fly north across
the Gulf of Mexico with no stopping for food or rest. Experts
believe that they leave the Yucatan Peninsula in the early
evening, fly and pilot by starlight, and arrive in the U.S.
by mid-morning to early afternoon the next day. What a feat!
Can you imagine tiny ruby-throated hummingbirds making this
trip? The Arctic Tern migrates the farthest -- from Canada
and even farther north to the coast of Africa and then south
to Antarctica. Some migrate over 20,000 miles a year! Appreciation
of this feat has made me and many others devoted birdwatchers. 
What a rewarding hobby! When I see these colorful migrants
in the spring, I just wish each could tell me about its travels.
At this time of year they are so colorful, the males especially
in their breeding plumage – reds, blues, yellows, oranges
. . . all colors of the rainbow. Each is so beautiful one
has to wonder how they even evolved to have such distinct
coloration. Identifying them with the aid of a good field
guide is the challenge. Soon, one learns to look not only
at colorful feathers but other distinctive characteristics.
Here are but a few examples: the habitat it likes (shoreline
for sandpipers, mulberry trees for tanagers, red flowers
for hummingbirds), the length of the legs (long in herons,
very short in chimney swifts), the shape of the bill (spoon-shaped
and elongated in roseate spoonbills and chisel-like in oystercatchers),
and the pattern of flying (hovering like a paper kite for
white-tailed kites, and dive-bombing into water for fish
like brown pelicans). 
